We are genocide tourists now

The tourists approach the genocide memorial in an excited, expectant state. This after all is an important 'must do' in their whirlwind tour of the country's top sites. Their mood quickly changes as they realise the scale and the mechanics of massacre.

Tears don't come at this stage because you cant have much empathy with thousands or even millions of dead people. The tears come later when they read the individual stories. The 5 year old Rwandan child, a picture of her at a birthday party, who had her head split in two by a machete. The hundreds of babies who where swung by their legs and smashed against as 'special' tree in the Cambodian killing fields



Finally, for the tourists, there is anger and the thirst for revenge or at least justice. The Western need for a nice neat ending that will never come.

Rwanda has begun the process of reconciliation and justice. Formal trials of some of the Hutu leaders are taking place in Zanzibar. Local courts are enabling people to tell their stories and to confess. Rwanda has ditched the French language because of Frances actions around the massacre. The people refer to themselves as Rwandan now, instead of Hutu or Tutsi. 800,000 Tutsi where killed.

Cambodia is now starting trials of a few Khmer Rouge leaders, far too late most of the leaders including Pol Pot have died of old age. Its not easy to investigate these things when your current leader is ex-Khmer Rouge. 1-3 million died out of a population of 8 million



Both massacres demonstrate the impotence and moral cowardice of the UN. In Rwanda a few armed peace keepers could have stopped the killing. The UN continued to recognise the Khmer Rouge Government years after they where ousted by Vietnamese forces. Both France and the US, amongst others, played shameful roles in these decisions

As for the tourists? They end the tour chastened and maybe a little change. Most importantly their presence helps ensure the stories are told and not forgotten






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Living on a big yellow truck

 

The idea of traveling and living with a group of strangers was more than a little daunting.   The reality was a delight - brilliant company, great organization and lots of excitement.   There is probably no better way of seeing Africa and getting to stay in national parks.

 

A leader and driver are provided but the rest is diy.   A daily rota gives everyone a task and a responsibility - cooking, washing up, security or cleaning the truck.  This is essential to keep the costs down and to give the group the feeling that we are 'all in this together'

Everything is down to the atmosphere the leader establishes, and the people.  Just one or two arseholes could destroy the trip for everyone.   Our leader 'Gracie' used a yellow card system,  anyone could be nominated for one during dinner.  They then have a chance to defend themselves and then the nomination gets put to the vote.   Mostly it is a fairly hilarious process but it does give the chance to air things that could otherwise fester and become a problem.  When (rather than if) you get 3 red cards your punishment is to buy everyone a shot.  But it's your choice what goes in it.   My concoction of Ugandan rum, vodka and brandy with a large dash of chili powder went down well!!

 

 

We travelled from Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda

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Gorillas in the pouring rain

Our arrival is  causing much bemusement  in a small village where we are starting our trek to see Rwanda's gorillas.     We are following the Shinda  group  (these are the ones that Dian Fossey studied).     Just ten of the gorrila groups can each be visited by 8 people a day.   It’s probably one of the few wildlife viewing things you can do guilt free - the 500$ a day permit means that someone is making a lot of money and that person will be inclined to try and stop  poachers destroying  his money making scheme

Trackers are already way up in the mountain trying to locate the group.  We start off with guides and armed guards.   The latter is  supposedly to save us from elephants and buffalo but really to protect us stumble upon armed poachers or wandering Congolese guerrilllas.

After a couple of hours we hear a noise and though the trees I can make out the black shape of a gorilla.   It’s partly hidden but an exhilarating experience and I think 'well that’s my money's worth'.  The next moment we are surrounded by gorilla’s -  mothers with babies, adolescents and several silver backs.  We are meant to be 7 meters away but no-one told the gorillas and they even brush past us.  All the activity is because it has started to rain and gorillas hate getting wet.  For the next 20 minutes they huddle under trees looking extremely miserable

As soon as the rain stops they start getting active and the chief silverback comes through with his favorite family

It’s all deeply moving especially looking deep into their eyes.  There is definatly some sort of understanding or connection that goes back to a common ancestry.    It’s difficult to believe that I belong to the same species that will kill these creatures for a hand or foot trophy!!

 

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African Stories

1. Marriage. If you don't have enough cattle to get the wife of your choice raid a neighboring tribe and steal them. However make sure you hand them over to the father before they can arrange a raid to get them back- 'its then his problem'. This has all become a bit murderous since the tribes  started using guns rather than spears.

2. ''I thought female circumcision was illegal'' 'yes but not for the Pocott tribe''

Two days later the paper is full of stories of the Pocott persuading  other tribes to adopt complete circumcision, the labia as well as the clitoris. All done by the old ladies in the tribe with a rusty razor blade

3. The riots in Jan 2008 started as a political protest but gave the tribes a chance to steal from each other. One island on Lake Victoria has double its population as people fled the mainland. There are refuge camps everywhere as the Government tries to find a way of getting people back to their homes and farms. Not easy when there is no property rights and whole districts have been cleared and resettled

4. Obama. As election day approached for the American presidency white people in Kenya got extra armed security. If Obama had not got in they where sure they would have been attacked. There is still  tremendous excitement about having an American President with a Kenyan father. But the Kenyan people are likely to be disappointed. They think Obama will favour Kenya in the same way as their  own politicians give precedence to their own tribe

5. Politicians.  Kenyan politicians earn much more than their Wesminster counterparts. In a country with average income of below a dollar and falling.  They are amazingly corrupt and incompetent.  Kenya is facing a famine which will affect a third of the population but the Government has managed to 'lose' all but 7000 of the 150,000 bags of maize it had in store

5. Donations. Its 6am and we are waiting for the Uganda/Rwandan border to open. I have got a Rwandan note worth about 50 US cents. I say good morning to about 20 village woman and children as they walk towards the market. They respond with 'good morning. Give me money'. Eventually a woman with a baby on her back and a back of potatoes on her head says ' good morning how are you' with a big smile. I hand her the note. A few minutes later I hear shrieks  of laughter  and three woman are giving her high 5s at her good fortune

6.  Thief.  We were given some good advise.  Only shout 'thief' if you are robbed if you want the culprit beaten to death or lynched.  Everyday the papers had stories of people being caught and summarily killed.

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